Snowmass history: Symposium showcases woodworking

“An all-star lineup of the nation’s woodworkers will gather in Snowmass Village next week for the Woodworker’s Symposium at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center,” The Aspen Times reported Aug. 1, 1985. “Reflective of the revival in woodworking as an art and craft, the week-long symposium will address contemporary work, history and will include hands-on-demonstrations by the 12 panelists. According to Anderson Ranch Director Brad Miller, the symposium will offer a rare opportunity for students to rub shoulders with leading woodworkers. It also affords the experts occasion to discuss current trends and technique. … ‘Thirty years ago,’ says Miller, ‘woodworking was considered just a craft. It was not considered art, but during the last 10 years or so, fine woodwork had made it into the museums and galleries. Books have been written, and the demand for woodwork as art has developed.’ Tage Frid, one of the panelists, is one who finds little merit in Memphis design.” (Memphis design is an artistic flow of woodworking that casts nuts-and-bolts functionalism to the wind.) “‘It’s put together very badly,’ he says. ‘Their philosophy is that it doesn’t have to be functional. I don’t want furniture that screams at me. I want a chair I can sit in and a bed I can sleep in.’ Frid has been instrumental in the revival in woodworking. Currently Professor Emeritus at Rhode Island School of Design and a Fellow of the American Crafts Council. Frid also is a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking Magazine, the leading trade publication for woodworkers.”

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